Dream Big in aid and celebration of young artists

Johannesburg’s most spectacular charity event this year is Dream Big, a cocktail party, concert and auction, to be held on Saturday 18 August at the Atlas Studios in Milpark, Johannesburg. The event is in aid of young artists, and is presented by the Doilie Foundation and the National Youth Orchestra. ​​

Gloria Bosman

The evening will have a star-studded line-up with our full green-and-gold symphonic team, the 80-piece National Youth Orchestra, performing with guest artists Coenie de Villiers, Gloria Bosman, Elzabé Zietsman and Naomi van Niekerk under the baton of Roderick Cox, who joins us all the way from the USA. Over and above this, there will be an auction of pieces by industry greats, and delicious food prepared by chef Arnold Tanzer and his crew at Food on the Move – all brought together by comedian Marc Lottering. Items for the auction have been given to the cause by Marianne Fassler, Gavin Rajah, Alex Hamilton, Olaf Bisschoff, and Studio Loubser, and art works by Thokozani Mthiyane and Toni Bico have been donated by Art Eye Gallery. These beautiful lots will be auctioned off on the night by Susie Goodman of Strauss & Co. Bacher & Co have donated luxury items for our VIP welcome packages, D’Aria Winery is providing the wine and gin, and Atlas Studios has donated their gorgeous venue. Top events magician Otto de Jager is orchestrating the decor, Lovemore Music is providing a grand piano, and lighting and sound will be provided by Splitbeam. Maties Travel, a division of Tourvest Travel Services, have provided air tickets for our artists from Cape Town.

Elzabe Zietsman

The headline for the evening may be celebrities and celebration, but it is all with the knowledge that in attending, you would be supporting an arts education for a talented young South African. The two host organisations share in the ideal that an arts education is vital for a healthy and happy society. “We want every talented and driven young artist, regardless of geographical or ﬁnancial barriers, to have access to a world class education,” says Elzabé Zietsman, founding member of the Doilie Foundation. As both organisations focus on young artists, teaming up for this event has been a worthwhile and exciting venture. Managing Director of the National Youth Orchestra, Sophia Welz, explains, “We want to assist the Doilie Foundation to support its three beneﬁciaries through their tertiary education, and to provide the basis for the National Youth Orchestra’s Bursary Fund that makes it possible for talented and deserving musicians that do not have the means to do so, to access world-class education and career opportunities. These resources are desperately needed by our young artists, given that their plight for a conducive learning environment is still largely unattended and/or insufficiently catered for in the mainstream public education system.”

Marc Lottering

The Doilie Foundation looks after the needs of three exceptionally talented young artists: a music student; a sound engineering student; and a ballet student. The National Youth Orchestra, founded in 1964, hosts annual orchestra courses, concerts, workshops, and both national and international tours for young musicians, making it one of South Africa’s most successful music institutions. “Our training pathway has been created to nurture the musical and personal development of South Africa’s ﬁnest young musicians. We have performed with a diverse range of local and global artists and personalities, including with our patron Archbishop Tutu, the world’s top selling classical artists of all time, Sir James Galway and internationally acclaimed soprano Barbara Hendricks,” says Welz. Various corporate sponsorship packages are available. ​Tickets can be bought through Tixsa, and will put you in the running to win a pair of tickets to any European destination on KLM-Royal Dutch Airlines. For more information visit www.doiliefoundation.co.za #DreamBigSA